Garment-supporter.



J. G; MORRILL.

GARMENT SUPPORTBR. I APPLICATION FILED FEB. 29. 1908.

Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

1 1H: Nonms PETER: co.. wAsHlNcmN, o. c.

JOSEPH G. MORRILL, OF BRADFORD, PENNSYLVANIA.

GARlllENT-QUPPORTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

lbatented March. 30, 1909.

Application filed February 29, 1908. Serial No. 418,497.

To all whom it may conce/m:

Be it known that l, dosnin G. citizen oi the United States, residing at Bradford, in the county et McKean and State ci Pennsylvania, have invented a Garment-Supporter, of which the 'iol-lowing is a Vfull and complete specii'icaticn.

My invention is an improvement in ment supporters, and has particular r erence to such devices which are adapted 'for mens wear to support the drawers troni the waistband of the trousers.

The primary Object of my invention is to provide a simple and effective device oi this character which can be readily secured to the upper ledge oi the drawers and removably attached or supported in connection with the waist-band oi the trousers, whereby the drawers are suspended trom the trousers loop ol the hook so as to lorm the spring and thus held up in proper place.

'.ihough es )ecially adapted as a drawers support the evice may be applied to other uses, as will hereinafter appear in the speciiications.

To this end, therefore, my invention contemplates the provision oi a combined clasp and hook which is compactly constructed so that the spring members oit-the clasp form the shank of the hook and the lower end of the bill oi the hook is only a slight distance from the jaws of the clasp, wherebyv the edge of the article engaged by the clasp will be near the edge of the article engaged by the hook; all as hereinafter fully described and specifically set forth in the appended claims.

ln the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification-Figure l is a side view illustrating the application of my invention in supporting drawers, the upper edges of the drawers and trousers being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the device. F ig. 3 is a front elevation of the same.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures oi trie drawings.

In carrying out my invention l construct the device so as to provide a hook 5 at one end and a clasp 6 at the other end, the clasp comprising companion spring members 7 7 and a slide or vclamping ring 9, the spring members' terminating at their outer ends in jaws 8 provided with the usual engaging teeth, as shown in Fig. 2. ln forming the spring members of the clasp the inner ineinber is bent away from the other member and the intermediate portion 7L thereof is llionniLL, 1

` engage this portion 7a to hold the jaws closed;

adapted to lie substantially parallel with said other member, so that the slide 9 may it being understood, of course, that to separate the spring members the slide is moved up into the hook. As will be seen the ineinbers ol the clasp l'orni the shank of the hook, and therefore the bill ol' the hook overlies the inner or curved ineniber ol' the clasp and extends within a comparatively short distance ol the jaws, so that the entire device is but little longer than the hook itsell'.

l prefer to construct the device of a strip Oi spring metal which is first bent upon itsell1 at the center and the two contiguous thicknesses are then shaped at the bent end to form the hook 5, while the terminals of the sti-ip lo rniing the shank ol' the hook are separated 'from a point a slight distance iroin the members 7 7 oi the clasp. rlhe ojfierating slide or clamping ring 9 is also l'orined oi a strip ol' metal which is bent around the niemvbers of the clasp so as to closelyaembrace the same.

The clasp is oi a conventional type, and the operation ol' the same will be readily apparent, l'or when the slide 9 is moved up -into the hook the spring members separate and open the jaws to receive the article, l'or instance the upper edge oil the drawers A (Fig. l), and when the slide is moved upon the members toward the jaws ol' the clasp it will close the jaws, and by engagingthe portion 7PL of the inner member will hold said jaws in closed position. The drawers are thus secuiely connected to the device and may be supported by engaging the hook 5 with the upper edge oi the waist-band of the trousers B. Ol course the device may be used as a support for other articles, as for instance to support a napkin in iront oi' a person eating, and in this application oil the device the napkin would be placed in engagement with the clasp and the device supported by passing the hook over the neckband or collar oll the wearer. l do not therefore wish to limit the application olI the device, but intend that the same may be used wherever a combined clasp and hook is desired for any purpose.

By reason of the fact that the clasp and hook are in close proximity to each other it may happen that the article entering the hook and engaging the slide or clampingring will cause it to unclasp the jaws of the clasp and release the article held thereby,

and in order to prevent this l may provide the inner spring memloer of the clasp with a raised portion, as 10, which is located hetween the ends oi the slide or clamping-ring when the latter is moved to close the jaws, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. This is particularly desirable where the device is used as a support for drawers, for it will he understood that in this application the device is first clasped to the drawers and then the hook is slipped over the upper edge oi the waistband of the trousers, and as the waist-band is usually thick it is likely to push the slide or ring upward as it passes into the hook. Therefore by providing the raised portion the edge oi' the trousers will ride over the same into the hook and will not come in con tact with` the slide or clamping-ring. This raised portion is formed from the inner inemloer of the clasp, preferably before the metal strip is bent or Aformed into the hook and clasp.

Tt will he readily apparent that many advantages accrue by having the clasp and hook in close proximity to each other, among which advantages may he stated that it permits the article secured in the jaws ofthe clasp to be supported very close to the edge of the article with which the hook engages; also the length of the device is reduced to a minimum, making it small and compact.

Having described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters- Patent is:

l. In a supporting device ior garments, etc., the eomloination, oi a hook, two members constituting the shank of the hook and forming the spring members ol a clasp, said members terminating in jaws located a slight distance from the end ci the hill of the hook and the inner member having a raised portion at the center thereo'r; together with a slide or clamping-ring embracing the menibers so that its ends will lie at opposite sides of the raised portion when the jaws are closed, substantially as shown and 'for the purpose set iorth.

2. A supporting device for garments, etc., comprising a combined clasp and hook made ol a strip of spring metal lient upon itself at the center and the contiguous thicknesses at the bent end termed into a hook while the terminals or" the strip are sejmfvted Jfrom a point a short distance helow the wed por-- tion oi the hook and term the spline; inemhers of the clasp, the ends oi' whichL latter are formed into jaws a short distance Itielow the end of the hill oi the hook and the inner spring member bent to provide a portion 7i attending substantially parallel with the other member, a raised portion en the inner memhe the center oil the portion 7 *l thereoli, and a slide embracing the springmembers of t ie clasp and so that its ends will lie at opposite sides oli the raised portion when the jaws oi the clasp are closed.

ln testimony whereof l have signed my name to this speciiication in the presence et two suhscrihii'ig witnesses.

lNitnesses ALBERT MILLER, VWM. C. DEUEL. 

